Danger at the Iron Dragon Read online

“Liam!” I heard Penny scream from the cellar. “She’s getting away!”

  I reached the training room and made for the front door instead of the back one, even though it was closer. I’m more likely to find help on the street than the alley. But I didn’t get far. Before I could even cross the room, I crashed full tilt into a large figure and bounced back onto the floor. Thankfully, the mats were soft, and I was actually getting pretty used to falling. I felt a spark of hope. Someone’s here! I’m saved!

  I scrambled to my feet, but when I looked to see the face of my rescuer, my heart dropped back into the pit of my stomach. He was dusting off his hooded jacket—which was ripped at the hem. The guy in the alley, I thought, remembering the dark figure getting caught on the wire fence. Then a second person came in from the lobby. Both men wore dark clothing, black caps, and gloves. In the dim light, I could just make out their faces—faces I’d only ever seen in the River Heights Bugle. In mug shots.

  Max and Ollie Ladrao.

  Somehow, instead of the situation getting better, things had just gotten much, much worse.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Attack the Back

  AS I STOOD IN THE dimly lit academy, contemplating how I’d become stuck inside a criminal sandwich, I turned to see Penny and Liam emerge from the cellar and zero in on me.

  “Get her!” Penny shouted, pointing.

  But she and Liam made it only a few steps into the room before noticing Max and Ollie, standing like phantoms in the dark. Liam stopped dead in his tracks. I saw an expression of panic cross Penny’s face before she quickly wiped it clean.

  “Hello, Max, Ollie,” she said, motioning to each in turn. “So nice of you to drop by. Unfortunately, my associate and I are in a bit of a rush, so we’ve got to run—”

  “I don’t think so,” Max growled, cracking his knuckles.

  “You and your associate,” Ollie said, “aren’t going anywhere until you give us what’s ours.”

  Penny’s nostrils flared. “Yours? Hardly. How in the world did you two idiots even find me?”

  Ollie smiled. “Oh, we’ve known you were here for about a month now. Ever since you were foolish enough to put your face in the paper.”

  “Ugh,” Penny groaned. “I knew being in that group picture was a mistake.” I wasn’t sure what she meant until I remembered the framed article in the lobby. There had been a team photo in it, hadn’t there?

  “You looked different, but I could still recognize you anywhere,” Ollie said. “You can change your face all you want, but I still know what you are in here.” He pointed to his chest.

  “And what’s that?” Penny asked.

  Ollie’s lips curled into a sneer. “A traitor,” he growled.

  “We thought that maybe you were planning something and were going to help us out,” Max added. “But then we met Kurt—”

  Penny snorted. “I knew it. Kurt and his big, dumb mouth—”

  “And we knew that you’d ratted us out,” Ollie said. “You weren’t going to help us—you were the one who put us away in the first place. So we broke out. Turns out, we don’t need you, after all.”

  “Debatable,” Penny muttered.

  “We followed you, watched you for a few days, coming here and acting like you were the girl next door,” Ollie went on. “At first all we wanted to do was scare you. To make you pay for what you did to us. But when I saw the way you were cozying up to this sneaky fool”—he pointed to Liam—“and found those scribbled notes in your locker the night I broke in to start the fire, I realized you were planning another heist. So we figured, what better way to get back the cash that you owe us from that last job than wait until you steal it yourself?”

  “Yeah,” Max agreed. “Thanks for doing all the work. Now give us what we deserve.”

  “Oh, I’ll give it to you, all right,” said Penny, stepping toward the brothers and curling her hands into fists.

  “Penny! Hold on,” Liam said, grabbing her arm and pulling her back. “If we get into a brawl with these guys and the cops show up, none of us are getting out of here with the money. So cool it, okay? I’ll get rid of them. You finish cleaning up in the cellar, and then we can get the money and go.”

  Penny glared at Max and Ollie but stood down. “All right, Ginger,” she said. “Have it your way. You might be good for something after all.” She gave the brothers one last dirty look before turning to head back through the door to the cellar.

  Thankfully, throughout their exchange, no one was really paying attention to me, so I figured it was as good a time as any to get out of there. While Max, Ollie, and Liam were focused on getting ready to beat one another senseless, I made a beeline for the lobby.

  “Oh no, you don’t!” Max said, moving to block me. I dodged around him but wasn’t quick enough to avoid Ollie grabbing me by the wrist. He pulled me back and wrapped his arm around my neck. I tried to slide out from his grip—but it was no use.

  “You’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, honey,” Ollie muttered in a low, dangerous voice.

  No kidding, I thought, struggling in his grip.

  Hearing the commotion, Penny came back into the training room and took in the scene. “You all are really starting to get on my nerves,” she said irritably. “What do you think you’re doing, Ollie?”

  He shifted, wrapping his hand around my throat where his arm had been. “Give us the money, or I’ll start squeezing.” I tensed as his fingers dug into my skin.

  Penny snorted. “If you think I care what happens to that meddling little—”

  I guess I could have waited to hear how she was going to finish that insult. Brat? Punk? Troublemaker? The world will never know. Instead I decided it was time to turn the tables on these bullies. With all the strength I had left, I lowered myself into a squat and rammed my elbows back between Ollie’s legs. He howled and folded over, his hands on his knees. Suddenly everyone was shouting at once.

  I stumbled away, scanning the room for my best chance at escape.

  “Everyone be quiet!” Penny shouted. The three men all went still and silent; they must’ve been used to taking orders from her. “Look, Max, Ollie. We might have had our differences in the past,” she continued in a soft, soothing voice. “But we have a mutual interest, don’t we? So why don’t we work together to deal with her”—she nodded toward me—“and we can work out some kind of arrangement with the cash once we’re safely away from here?”

  “Who is she, anyway?” asked Ollie.

  “A pain in my neck,” Penny replied.

  “Look,” I said, taking a few cautious steps back. “You all clearly have a lot to talk about. Why don’t I just leave you to it?”

  Penny rolled her eyes and turned to the brothers. “Do we have a deal?”

  Max and Ollie exchanged a look, then nodded. “Fine,” Max said.

  “Fine,” Ollie agreed. They moved to block the way to the lobby and the locker rooms.

  I backed away, catching Liam’s eye. “Redheads unite?” I pleaded.

  He shook his head and started toward me. “Sorry, Nancy,” he said. “Not this time.”

  “C’mon, c’mon, c’mon,” I muttered to myself as the three men closed in. “Think!” But there was nowhere to go. I had played my last card. The game was over.

  But just as they were about to reach me, the front door of the academy crashed open and three figures ran into the training room. Bess, George, and a certain young reporter.

  “Hey, guys!” Z said, waving excitedly. “Guess what? We called the police!”

  I smiled. Looked like the game wasn’t over yet. I’d had an ace up my sleeve after all. Or rather, a Z.

  “The cops!” Max yelled.

  “Liam, grab the gym bag with the cash, quick!” Penny commanded. “We’ve got to get out of here, now!”

  Liam nodded and ran down into the cellar, emerging seconds later with the black gym bag. “But what about the rest of the money?” he asked, panting. “There’s only a few thousand in her
e!”

  “You want your money or your freedom?” she demanded. “We’re out of time! There’ll always be more banks to rob!”

  While they were bickering, Bess, George, and Z ran up to me. “Nancy!” said Bess. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, but they’re going to get away!”

  “Go, go, go!” Penny was shouting, waving Liam toward the back door. Max and Ollie followed on his heels, rushing to get away.

  “I’m going!” Liam said, and slammed his hand against the crash bar. It swung open, but instead of revealing the dark alley that ran behind the academy, something else was waiting there. Something that made me feel better than I had all week.

  Nearly the entire Iron Dragon team—Carly, Nate, Jake, Jeremy, Tim, Ernesto, and a few others—stood in the doorway, with Coach Ethan right at the front.

  Liam stumbled back into the Ladrao brothers behind him. “E-Ethan…,” he stammered.

  Coach Ethan crossed his arms over his chest and slowly shook his head. “I’m disappointed in you, Liam. Not only did you betray the entire team, but you didn’t even see this coming. Did you forget the first rule of Jiu-Jitsu?”

  Liam’s face went pale. “Attack the back.”

  Ethan turned to his team. “Get this trash out of my school,” he said softly.

  The Iron Dragons poured into the room, circling Liam, Max, and Ollie like a pack of wolves. Max tried to make a run for the lobby, but just as he was passing, Bess dived, grabbing him around the waist from behind and executing a perfect takedown.

  “Ahhh!” Max yelled as he fell flat on his face, hitting the mats with a crash.

  Bess leaped onto his back as soon as he was down, hanging on for dear life as he bucked like a wild horse, trying to shake her off. Ernesto jogged over and bent close.

  “May I step in, young lady?” he asked politely.

  Bess, her face glistening with sweat, yet somehow radiating pure joy, looked up at him and grinned. “Why sure, Tall, Dark, and Handsome. Be my guest!” She nimbly hopped off Max’s back, and an instant later Ernesto had hopped on like they were taking turns on a carnival ride. Within moments, Ernesto had wrapped himself around Max like a snake and was pulling him into a backbreaking position.

  “Now, are you going to give us any more trouble?” Ernesto asked, like he was talking to a naughty child.

  “No! No!” Max choked out, pulling helplessly on Ernesto’s arm. “No more trouble!”

  “Good boy,” Ernesto said, releasing his grip. Max lay on his back, gasping for air. Ernesto motioned to Bess and George. “Will one of you help me tie him up?”

  “Here!” I said, turning away from them. “Untie me and use the belt for him instead.”

  While George released me from my bonds, Bess knelt next to Ernesto and said, “That move was amazing. What’s it called?”

  “A bow and arrow choke,” Ernesto replied. “Elegant, isn’t it?”

  “When this is all over, can you teach me?” asked Bess.

  “Of course, tigresa,” Ernesto said with a wink. “You’ll be a warrior in no time.”

  My hands finally free, I rubbed my wrists and surveyed the room. Ollie and Liam were on their knees, their hands raised in surrender, with at least three grapplers around each of them. I could hear the sound of sirens approaching.

  But where was Penny?

  “Coach Ethan!” I called out, dashing across the room to his side.

  “Nancy Drew,” he said, smiling when he saw me. “Looks like we got here just in time, huh?”

  “Yes,” I said quickly, “but I don’t see Penny anywhere.”

  Coach Ethan scanned the room. “Shoot, she must have slipped out while we were focused on the others—Nancy, wait!”

  But I had already taken off out the back door to the alley. It was just wide enough to accommodate Penny’s small white sedan, which was parked right near the door. She was there, bending to throw the gym bag full of cash into the back seat. The car was already running, its headlights piercing the darkness. I moved in front of the sedan, blocking her passage back onto the street.

  “It’s over, Penny,” I said.

  She startled, banging her head against the roof of the car. She emerged a moment later, rubbing the tender spot and scowling. “You know, Nancy,” she said, slamming the back door shut, “I can’t decide if you’re really smart, or just really lucky.”

  “Eh, it’s probably a little of both,” I replied. “But honestly, luck can only get you so far.”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Penny said, chuckling without humor. “I used to have a nickname in the crime circles, back when I first started pulling jobs—Lucky Penny. Never got caught, not once. And I’m not about to let a silly little nothing like you break my streak.”

  “I think you underestimate the lengths I’ll go in order to close a case,” I said. “I’m a little bit obsessed. Ask anyone. So”—I lowered myself into a defensive crouch—“if you want to get out of here, you’ll have to go through me first.”

  Penny laughed, but then stopped abruptly when she realized how serious I was. “Don’t tempt me, Nancy,” she said, her voice a warning.

  I narrowed my eyes. “Consider yourself tempted.”

  “Have it your way,” Penny growled. With a shout, she came tearing toward me, her fist raised to deliver a knockout punch. I tensed—I was talking a big game, but I wasn’t sure if my bruised and battered body could take another hit.

  Time seemed to slow as she stepped into the brightness of the headlights, and I watched as her outstretched arm moved within my reach.

  Get your grips, a voice in my mind said.

  All I wanted to do was to run away, to cover my face and hide. After all, I was an amateur detective, not a professional fighter. But the voice only got louder.

  You have to believe.

  And suddenly I imagined myself back in class, on the mats with Liam, repeating that specific twisting movement over and over. I remembered how it felt, how my body moved.

  Don’t think.

  Penny’s fist was inches from my face now.

  Just do it.

  I reached out, grabbed Penny’s wrist, and then twisted around until my back was to her. Using her forward momentum, I loaded her body up onto my back and—almost effortlessly—threw her over my shoulder and onto the cold, hard ground.

  Penny lay on her back, staring up at the sky. “You threw me!” she said in disbelief.

  “Eyyyyyy!” Coach Ethan called, coming outside. “Not too bad for a white belt, Nancy!”

  A few other faces, including Bess’s and George’s, peeped out the back door. “The police are here,” George reported. “They’re taking Max, Ollie, and Liam into custody.”

  Penny’s eyes closed in defeat. I was pretty sure her days of bank robbing and identity hopping were finished. “Looks like your luck finally ran out,” I said to her.

  A moment later a police officer pushed through the crowd and out into the alley. The bearded young man sighed when he saw me. “If this is your idea of staying out of trouble, Miss Drew,” he said, “I think you might need to reevaluate your definition of ‘trouble.’ ”

  “Officer Nadeem,” I said with a small smile. “Fancy meeting you here.”

  He surveyed the scene. “It’s nice of you to do so much of the work for me, but how about I take over from here?”

  I nodded, relieved, and allowed Coach Ethan and the others to lead me back inside while Officer Nadeem read Penny her rights and put her in handcuffs. My shoulders were aching, my head throbbed, and I desperately needed some water. And maybe a pizza. A large pizza. All for me.

  Back inside, the other police officers were leading Max, Ollie, and Liam out to their squad cars. Red and blue lights were flashing through the picture window and making the whole academy look like a disco party. The Iron Dragon team gave me fist bumps as I passed by. At the back of the group was Z.

  “Hey, Nancy!” he said cheerfully, as if stopping bank robberies was something he did every da
y. “Good to see you again! You left your purse back at the Bugle.” He handed it to me.

  I took it from him gratefully. “Thanks,” I said. “But how did you know to come here?”

  “Well,” he said, rubbing the back of his head, “I tried to text and call you about your purse after you rushed out, and when you didn’t pick up, I got worried and called Bess. We’d exchanged numbers when she came back to train at Lockdown, so she knew who I was.” He chuckled. “She made me promise to save her number under ‘Anastasia Blackstone.’ Anyway, as soon as I told her where you had gone, she knew you’d need backup. So she said she’d contact everyone and get them over here right away.”

  “Wait, so Bess and George never got a text from me?”

  The cousins in question walked up, catching the end of our conversation. They both shook their heads. “A text? No,” Bess said. “I did think it was a little strange that I didn’t hear from you all day, but sometimes you get so wrapped up in a case. I tried texting you earlier to ask for an update and didn’t hear back—but I honestly didn’t think too much of it until I got the call from Z.”

  “Wow,” I said, putting a hand to my chest. I turned to the young reporter and grabbed him by the shoulders. “I don’t know what to say, Z. If you hadn’t gotten in touch with my friends, I’d probably be locked in a trunk, crammed in with a bunch of stolen cash right now. Or worse. I owe you, big-time.”

  Z blushed and looked down at the floor. “Well, thanks, Nancy. I was just doing what I thought was right.”

  “So,” I said, smiling. “I think I have an idea that might just get you that front-page story.”

  Z’s eyes lit up. “You’ll give me an exclusive?”

  “Of course! It’s the least I can do!”

  “Omigosh,” Z said, digging into his bag for a notebook and pen. “This could be huge for me, Nancy. Huge! Let me start by interviewing some of the others here for background, and maybe I can call you later for the full scoop, if you’re up for it?”

  “Absolutely.”

  While Z went to talk to Coach Ethan and a few of the other members of the team, Officer Nadeem joined Bess, George, and me. His thick brows were furrowed in concern. “Nancy, we have a problem.”